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Haircuts by Children is a whimsical relational performance that playfully engages with the enfranchisement of children, with trust in the younger generation, and the thrills and chills of vanity. Haircuts By Children involves children between the ages of 8-12 are trained by professional hairstylists, and then paid to run a real hair salon, offering members of the public free haircuts. The project invites the consideration of young people as creative and competent individuals whose aesthetic choices can be trusted. While providing atypical entertainment for the public, Haircuts by Children also shifts the traditional power dynamic between children and adults, creating a safe social space where children and adults who live in the same community can meet and share a unique creative experience together. The idea that kids should be allowed to cut our hair evokes the same leap of faith, courage and understanding required to grant children deeper citizenship rights. For many it is actually less terrifying to contemplate allowing kids to vote.

While Haircuts by Children is a performance with kids, it's actually for the benefit of who they will become; for the adults who have to deal with the consequences of eighteen years of political disenfranchisement. Haircuts by Children: a performance about the future. "In the future, every child will be given a pair of scissors and invited to shape our destinies. In the future, every child will be granted full citizenship rights; encouraged to vote, run for office and drive streetcars. In the future, children will teach and adults will learn; a playground will be built on every battlefield; and candy will be free. In the future, children will be powerful creatures able to cross the street without looking both ways, and hold their breath underwater forever and ever and ever."
-Artistic Director, Darren O'Donnell